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PRESIDENT Arroyo on Wednesday urged member-nations of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to jointly
strengthen rice security in the region as the bloc’s
response to what she called a “global wake-up call”
triggered by high rice prices.
The
President made the call at the 16th Asean Farmers Week
Celebration in Cagayan de Oro City, where she said
national efforts to improve food security in Asean
member-countries should be complemented by regional
efforts to avert more global food crises.
“We must
spend considerable time as we are doing today and in the
months ahead, not just resolving the situation in our
individual countries but dedicating ourselves to the
regional and global discussions on what must be done for
emerging nations such as Asean on the vital issue of
food security. We must work together to resolve this,”
she said.
She
noted that the “global phenomenon of soaring commodity
prices, rice in particular, “is a global wake-up call
that we must address both individually in the country
and collectively as Asean.”
Mrs.
Arroyo said it is important for Asean member-countries
to work with the International Rice Research Institute
to “explore ways” of meeting their future rice
requirements. “If we work together on these priorities,
this will help prevent any global food crisis in the
longer term....Let us all be deeply committed to being a
force for good and a force for food security in the
Philippines and Asean.”
On the
home front, the President said government has “yet to
determine the long-term plan for the National Food
Authority,” apparently referring to the issue of
self-sufficiency in rice production that could diminish
the role of the NFA.
“It will
be a mistake to shift all of our attention to long-term
policies at the expense of near-term efforts to
stabilize the situation and put food on the table of our
people. So for today, definitely there is still a role
for the National Food Authority. And because of their
work and the hard work of our farmers, for now we have
the supply issue well in hand,” she said. |
